18.01.11: The Signs They Are a Changin’

OK. By now, you know that your astrological sign isn’t what you were always told it was. Last week, (non-) news broke that according to astronomy, not only were the zodiacal signs wrong, but the Sun actually passes through a 13thsign, that of Ophiuchus. The astrology-minded scrambled, desperately trying to conceive not only what a ‘serpent bearer’ should be like, but how to pronounce it. Bloggers also scrambled, eager to get hits (we don’t work for ‘money’) on a topic as highly rated in Search Engine Optimization as astrology. Never mind that we blogged about this years ago. We won’t regal you with our synopsis of astrology, about the precession of the equinoxes and how the sky slowly changes over time. Astrologers have thus evoked the tropical year, saying that their system doesn’t have to have a basis on what is truly happening in the sky… but how is that different than saying that there is no effect at all? Doubtless, the daily horoscope will continue, suitably vague as ever, and a slice of us will say “that’s me; I am unlucky in love and have a vast unrecognized potential!” The planets will also continue to pass through the imaginary borders that we’ve assigned them, largely oblivious to the daily Yahoo front page horoscope or the Google ads touting astrology currently revolving next to this blog.

So, what’s an astronomer to do? Our best advice is to introduce the astrologically curious to the real night sky. Point out their favorite zodiac constellations to them; explain the real motions of the planets and how the sidereal year works. Explain that astronomy sprung from astrology, much like chemistry from alchemy, but also like chemistry, tells us something much more profound about the universe; that celestial bodies do influence us, not by meddling in our mundane affairs or deciding the fate of the Golden Globe Awards, but by making elements, energy, and life possible…tell ‘em Astroguyz sent you!

P.S.: Don’t mention, however, that on January 21st, the Moon enters the constellation Sextans (see above)… we’ve already be accused of inventing one new weird constellation!

[...] consciousness sometimes. Early last year, articles breathlessly reported the discovery of the “13th constellation” of the zodiac, and the astrologically-minded wondered whether they may in fact actually be [...]

Astro Documentaries

Pictured is a Delta IV rocket launch from Cape Canaveral on November 21st, 2010. The image is a 20 second exposure taken at dusk, shot from about 100 miles west of the launch site. The launch placed a classified payload in orbit for the United States Air Force.

DIY Astronomy

Difficult but not impossible to catch against the dawn or dusk sky, spotting an extreme crescent moon can be a challenge. The slender crescent pictured was shot 30 minutes before sunrise when the Moon was less than 20 hours away from New. A true feat of visual athletics to catch, a good pair of binoculars or a well aimed wide field telescopic view can help with the hunt.

The Sun is our nearest star, and goes through an 11-year cycle of activity. This image was taken via a properly filtered telescope, and shows the Sun as it appeared during its last maximum peak in 2003. This was during solar cycle #23, a period during which the Sun hurled several large flares Earthward. The next solar cycle is due to peak around 2013-14.

Astronomy Gear Reviews

Located in the belt of the constellation Orion, Messier 42, also known as the Orion Nebula is one of the finest deep sky objects in the northern hemisphere sky. Just visible as a faint smudge to the naked eye on a clear dark night, the Orion Nebula is a sure star party favorite, as it shows tendrils of gas contrasted with bright stars. M42 is a large stellar nursery, a star forming region about 1,000 light years distant.

Astronomical Observing Targets

Orbiting the planet in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) every 90 minutes, many people fail to realize that you can see the International Space Station (ISS) from most of the planet on a near-weekly basis. In fact, the ISS has been known to make up to four visible passes over the same location in one night. The image pictured is from the Fourth of July, 2011 and is a 20 second exposure of a bright ISS pass.

Next to the Sun, the two brightest objects in the sky are the Moon and the planet Venus. In fact, when Venus is favorably placed next to the Moon, it might just be possible to spot the two in the daytime. Another intriguing effect known as earthshine or ashen light is also seen in the image on the night side of the Moon; this is caused by sunlight reflected back off of the Earth towards our only satellite.

A mosaic of three images taken during the total lunar eclipse of December 21st, 2010. The eclipse occurred the same day as the winter solstice. The curve and size of the Earth’s shadow is apparent in the image.